Method and apparatus for providing video conferencing

ABSTRACT

A system that incorporates teachings of the subject disclosure may include, for example, capturing images that are associated with a video conference communication session, obtaining a video conference policy associated with the video conference communication session, applying object pattern recognition to the images to detect an object in the images, and retrieve first replacement image content according to the video conference policy. The images can be adjusted by replacing a first portion of the images other than the detected object with the first replacement image content to generate first adjusted video content. The first adjusted video content can be provided to the first recipient communication device via the video conference communication session. Non-adjusted video content can be provided according to the video conference policy to the second recipient communication device via the video conference communication session. Other embodiments are disclosed.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The subject disclosure relates to a method and apparatus for providingvideo conferencing.

BACKGROUND

Video technology is widely used on various devices, including mobilephones, tablets and personal computers. The video technology is allowingfor a variety of services to be provided to users, including broadcastservices, video-on-demand services, and video conferencing.

However, with this wide-spread use of video technology comes concernabout privacy. For example, employees are adopting telecommuting or homeoffice arrangements with their employers. Privacy of their personal lifecan be a growing concern for these employees. When a user engages in avideo conference/video call, the user may be worried about a loss ofprivacy. Privacy concerns can stem from the contents of the backgroundor other portions of the image, the person's image itself, or both.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, which are notnecessarily drawn to scale, and wherein:

FIGS. 1A and 1B depict illustrative embodiments of communication systemsthat provide video conferencing;

FIG. 2 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a method for deliveringvideo conferencing services;

FIGS. 3-4 depict illustrative embodiments of communication systems thatprovide media services including video conferencing;

FIG. 5 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a web portal forinteracting with the communication systems of FIGS. 1 and 3-4;

FIG. 6 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a communication deviceutilized in the communication systems of FIGS. 1 and 3-4; and

FIG. 7 is a diagrammatic representation of a machine in the form of acomputer system within which a set of instructions, when executed, maycause the machine to perform any one or more of the methods describedherein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The subject disclosure describes, among other things, illustrativeembodiments for providing video conferencing services in whichconference content can be adjusted. The adjustments to content can be tovideo content and/or audio content. In one or more embodiments, capturedimages can be adjusted to replace image portions (e.g., detectedobjects) while retaining other image portions (e.g., a user's face, awhiteboard with information to be discussed during the video conference,and so forth). In one or more embodiments, replacement image portionscan be still images and/or moving images. In one or more embodiments,multiple versions of adjusted content (e.g., depicting differentreplacement content) can be generated so that different recipientdevices receive the different versions of the adjusted content. In oneor more embodiments, a source device's location can be monitored and thecontent being transmitted to one or more recipient devices can bechanged based on a location change of the source device, such aschanging between adjusted and non-adjusted content or changing betweentwo different versions of the adjusted content. In one or moreembodiments, adjusting content can be performed in the context of theadjustment occurring using processing as a service in the network, underthe decision of/control of the originating user of that content subjectto policy, content adjustment using processing in the UE, and/or underthe decision of/control of the receiving user of that content subject topolicy.

One embodiment of the subject disclosure includes a server having amemory and a processor. The memory stores computer instructions and theprocessor is coupled to the memory. The processor, responsive toexecuting the computer instructions, performs operations includingreceiving images captured by a source communication device associatedwith a video conference communication session established among videoconference participant devices including the source communicationdevice, a first recipient communication device, a second recipientcommunication device and a third recipient communication device. Thecontroller can obtain a video conference policy associated with thevideo conference communication session and can apply facial patternrecognition to the images to detect a facial object in the images. Thecontroller can retrieve first replacement image content according to thevideo conference policy and can adjust the images by replacing a portionof the images other than the facial object with the first replacementimage content to generate first adjusted video content. The controllercan provide the first adjusted video content to the first recipientcommunication device via the video conference communication session. Thecontroller can retrieve second replacement image content according tothe video conference policy. The controller can adjust the images byreplacing the portion of the images other than the facial object withthe second replacement image content to generate second adjusted videocontent and can provide the second adjusted video content to the secondrecipient communication device via the video conference communicationsession. The controller can provide non-adjusted video content includingthe images according to the video conference policy to the thirdrecipient communication device via the video conference communicationsession. The first adjusted video content is provided to the firstrecipient communication device without providing the non-adjusted videocontent to the first recipient communication device. The second adjustedvideo content is provided to the second recipient communication devicewithout providing the non-adjusted video content to the second recipientcommunication device.

One embodiment of the subject disclosure is a method includingreceiving, by a system including a processor, images captured by amobile communication device associated with a video conferencecommunication session established among video conference participantdevices including the mobile communication device and a recipientcommunication device. The method can include obtaining, by the system, avideo conference policy associated with the video conferencecommunication session. The method can include applying, by the system,facial pattern recognition to the images to detect a facial object inthe images. The method can include obtaining, by the system, firstlocation data associated with the mobile communication device. Themethod can include retrieving, by the system, first replacement imagecontent according to the video conference policy and the first locationdata. The method can include adjusting, by the system, the images byreplacing a portion of the images other than the facial object with thefirst replacement image content to generate first adjusted videocontent. The method can include providing the first adjusted videocontent to the recipient communication device via the video conferencecommunication session. The method can include obtaining, by the system,second location data associated with the mobile communication device.The method can include detecting a change in location of the mobilecommunication device that satisfies a location change threshold based ona comparison of the first and second location data. The method caninclude retrieving, by the system and responsive to the change inlocation, second replacement image content according to the videoconference policy and the second location data. The method can includeadjusting, by the system and responsive to the change in location, theimages by replacing the portion of the images other than the facialobject with the second replacement image content to generate secondadjusted video content. The method can include providing, by the systemand responsive to the change in location, the second adjusted videocontent to the recipient communication device via the video conferencecommunication session in place of the first adjusted video content.

One embodiment of the subject disclosure includes a tangiblecomputer-readable storage device comprising computer instructions,which, responsive to being executed by a processor of a sourcecommunication device, cause the processor to perform operationsincluding capturing images via a camera coupled with the sourcecommunication device, where the images are associated with a videoconference communication session established among video conferenceparticipant devices including the source communication device, a firstrecipient communication device and a second recipient communicationdevice. The computer instructions enable obtaining a video conferencepolicy associated with the video conference communication session. Thecomputer instructions enable applying facial pattern recognition to theimages to detect a facial object in the images. The computerinstructions enable retrieving first replacement image content accordingto the video conference policy. The computer instructions enableadjusting the images by replacing a first portion of the images otherthan the facial object with the first replacement image content togenerate first adjusted video content, where the adjusting of the imagesto generate the first adjusted video content includes retaining a secondportion of the images other than the facial object in the first adjustedvideo content. The computer instructions enable providing the firstadjusted video content to the first recipient communication device viathe video conference communication session. The computer instructionsenable providing non-adjusted video content including the imagesaccording to the video conference policy to the second recipientcommunication device via the video conference communication session,where the first adjusted video content is provided to the firstrecipient communication device without providing the non-adjusted videocontent to the first recipient communication device.

FIG. 1A depicts an illustrative embodiment of a communication system 100for providing video conferencing services in which video and/or audiocontent can be selectively adjusted. In one or more embodiments, theadjustment of the video and/or audio content can be performed inreal-time or near real-time so that users of the recipient communicationdevices do not experience a noticeable and undesired lag.

The communication system 100 can represent various types of mediasystems or portions thereof, including interactive television (e.g., anInternet Protocol Television (IPTV) media system), telephone and/or dataservices systems. Packets associated with media content, data content,voice content and so forth can be received from and/or delivered tovarious devices, including end-user devices, over a network 118. Forinstance in an IPTV environment, the packets can be delivered utilizinga multicast communication protocol. However, system 100 can utilizevarious communication protocols to route traffic and otherwise manageinformation being transmitted between devices, including broadcast andunicast techniques.

System 100 can distribute video conference content (e.g., video and/oraudio) via the network 118 to commercial and/or residential premises orbuildings 102 (two of which are shown—102A and 102B). For example,premises 102A and/or 102B can house a gateway 104 (such as a residentialor commercial gateway). The network 118 can include various networkelements that enable communications of the conference content (e.g.,video and/or audio content) between one or more source devices and oneor more recipient devices, such as in a video conference communicationsession having multiple participant devices. The network 118 canrepresent a group of digital subscriber line access multiplexers(DSLAMs) located in a central office or a service area interface thatprovide broadband services over fiber optical links and/or coppertwisted pairs to buildings 102A and 102B. Wireless communications canalso be utilized in the delivery of the services, with or without theuse of hardwire links. The gateway 104 can use communication technologyto distribute signals to media processors 106 such as Set-Top Boxes(STBs) which in turn present conference content (as well as othercommunication services including broadcast channels) to media devices108 such as computers or television sets managed in some instances by amedia controller 107 (such as an infrared or RF remote controller).

In one or more embodiments, a recording device 110 (e.g., a digitalvideo camera) can be utilized for capturing images and/or audio for usein the video conference in a non-adjusted version and/or in one or moreadjusted versions. The recording device 110 can be a separate deviceand/or can be integrated into one or more other devices, such asintegrated into the media processors 106, the media devices 108 and/orthe mobile communication devices 116. The gateway 104, the mediaprocessors 106, the media devices 108 and/or the recording device 110can utilize tethered communication technologies (such as coaxial,powerline or phone line wiring) and/or can operate over a wirelessaccess protocol such as Wireless Fidelity (WiFi), Bluetooth, Zigbee, orother present or next generation local or personal area wireless networktechnologies. By way of these interfaces, unicast communications canalso be invoked between the media processors 106 and subsystems of theIPTV media system for services such as video-on-demand (VoD), browsingan electronic programming guide (EPG), or other infrastructure services.Modulated signals can be transferred to the media processors 106 fordemodulating, decoding, encoding, and/or distributing broadcast channelsto the media devices 108. The media processors 106 can be equipped witha broadband port to an Internet Service Provider (ISP) network to enableinteractive services such as VoD and EPG as described above.

The subject disclosure can apply to other over-the-air and/or landlinemedia content services system. Multiple forms of media services can beoffered to media devices over landline technologies such as thosedescribed above. Additionally, media services can be offered to mediadevices by way of a wireless access base station operating according tocommon wireless access protocols such as Global System for Mobile orGSM, Code Division Multiple Access or CDMA, Time Division MultipleAccess or TDMA, Universal Mobile Telecommunications or UMTS, Worldinteroperability for Microwave or WiMAX, Software Defined Radio or SDR,Long Term Evolution or LTE, and so on. Other wide area wireless accessnetwork technologies can be used in one or more embodiments of thesubject disclosure.

Some of the network elements of the IPTV media system can be coupled toone or more computing devices 130, a portion of which can operate as aweb server for providing web portal services over the network 118 towireline media devices 108 or wireless communication devices 116. System100 can also provide for all or a portion of the computing devices 130to function as a content adjustment system (herein referred to as server130). Server 130 is illustrated as a single server, however, the server130 can be a group of servers in various configurations, including amaster-slave arrangement and/or a distributed environment wherefunctions are shared or isolated amongst the servers. The server 130 canuse computing and communication technology to perform function 162,which can include among other things, adjusting video and/or audiocontent based on replacement content. For example, the server 130 canreceive images from a source device, such as media processor 106, mediadevice 108 and/or mobile device 116, and can adjust those images basedon one or more conference policies. The conference policies can controlthe adjustment of the images and can be generated in various waysincluding by individuals, by service providers, and/or by entities(e.g., employers).

As an example and referring additionally to FIG. 1B, recording device110 of computer 108 can capture content (e.g., video and/or audiocontent) at an environment 150, such as in an office where multipleworkers and desks are present. A conference policy, such as associatedwith the computer 108 and/or associated with the user of the computer108, can dictate or otherwise instruct that facial pattern recognitionis to be applied to the images captured by the recording device 108 todetect a facial object (e.g., the face and upper torso of the user) inthe images. The conference policy can further provide that a firstadjusted content 198 is to be delivered to a first recipientcommunication device (e.g., computer 108A) and a second adjusted content199 is to be delivered to a second recipient communication device (e.g.,computer 108B), where the conference participant devices includecomputers 108, 108A and 108B.

Continuing with this example, the conference policy (or other factorsincluding user preference inputs) can further provide for a selection ofthe replacement content that is to be utilized in the first and secondadjusted content 198, 199. In this example, the first replacementcontent for first adjusted content 198 is an office setting having aclean desk without any co-workers present while the second replacementcontent for second adjusted content 199 is an ocean with a beach. Thefirst and second adjusted content 198, 199 can utilize a superpositionor combination of the facial object with the replacement content, whichis delivered to the computers 108A and 108B, respectively. In oneembodiment, the first and second adjusted content 198, 199 can bepresented at the display of the source device (computer 108) so that theuser can see the adjusted video content that is being delivered to therecipient devices. In one embodiment, the non-adjusted content 197 canbe presented at the source device display. In another embodiment, agraphical user interface can be presented that enables the user of thesource device to switch between delivering any one of the non-adjusted,first and second content to any one of the recipient devices (e.g.,computers 108A and 108B).

The exemplary embodiment of FIG. 1B describes computer 108 as being thesource device while computers 108A and 108B are the recipient devices.However, it should be understood that any one or more of the computers108, 108A and 108B can function as either or both of the source andrecipient devices, and the adjustment of content can be performed forall or only some of the source devices, such as computers 108 and 108Bcapturing images that are adjusted and delivered to the other conferenceparticipants while computer 108B receives adjusted content fromcomputers 108 and 108A but provides non-adjusted content to computers108 and 108A. This exemplary embodiment also depicts three computers108, 108A and 108B as being the conference participants, however, theconference participants can be any number of devices, as well as anytype of communication device (e.g., media processors 106, media devices108 and/or mobile devices 116).

This exemplary embodiment also illustrates adjustment of images,however, the adjusted content can include adjusted audio content. Forexample, noise filtering can be performed so that background noise inthe video conference is reduced. In one embodiment, the adjustment ofthe audio content can include adding desired background sounds, such asthe sounds of the waves for second adjusted content 199.

The exemplary embodiment of FIG. 1B illustrates the distribution of theadjusted content in a video conference session. The processing of theimages and/or audio to generate the adjusted content can be performed byvarious devices, such as locally by the source device (e.g., computer108), centrally by a remote server (e.g., server 130 of FIG. 1A), and/ora combination of devices, such as in a distributed process where certainfunctions are performed by designated devices.

The media processors 106, the media devices 108 and/or the wirelesscommunication devices 116 can be loaded with software function 164 toutilize the services of server 130. Software function 164 can includeenabling interfacing with server 130 for transmitting and/or receivingadjusted conference content. In one or more embodiments, the function164 can include performing one or more of the content adjustmentfunctions described above or described later with respect to method 200.For example, the software function 164 can enable performing facialpattern recognition on the images captured at the source device so thatonly the facial object needs to be transmitted from the source device.In one embodiment, the source device, via software function 164, candetect the facial object and can generate the adjusted content, such asby superimposing the facial object into replacement content (e.g.,replacement content selected from among a group of replacement contentbased on user input and/or based on conference policies).

FIG. 2 depicts an illustrative method 200 that operates in portions ofthe devices of FIGS. 1A and 1B and/or the devices or systems describedwith respect to other exemplary embodiments herein. Method 200 can beginat 202 in which one or more users seek to establish a video conferenceand a request for the conference is identified, detected or otherwisedetermined. The detection of the request can be by a remote device, suchas the server 130, and/or can be by a device participating in thecapturing of content for the video conference, such as a communicationdevice that generates a session establishment message (e.g., an INVITEmessage) for the video conference. The video conference can be based ona video conference communication session that utilizes variouscommunication protocols and occurs over various networks, such as an IPnetwork, an IPTV network, an IMS network, and so forth. Participants ofthe video conference can be identified, such as using device informationsubmitted with a conference request, including accessing a subscriberdatabase or other user information sources to identify the user deviceand/or users associated with the device. In one or more embodiments,user profiles associated with communication devices can be accessed toobtain information associated with the users and/or informationassociated with the video conference communication session.

At 203, video content and/or audio content from one or more participantdevices can be retrieved or otherwise obtained. The content can be froma single participant device of the video conference or can be frommultiple participant devices (e.g., all or some of the participantdevices). The particular number of participant devices that provide thecontent depends on whether a single device will be distributing adjustedimages and/or audio or whether multiple devices will be distributingadjusted images and/or audio. As an example, first, second and thirdcommunication devices may participate in a video conference where thefirst device provides non-adjusted images to the second and thirddevices, where the second device provides adjusted images to the firstand third devices, and where the third device provides adjusted imagesto the first device and non-adjusted images to the second device. Theproviding of non-adjusted images as compared with providing adjustedimages can be based on many criteria and factors including devicecapabilities, user preferences, and so forth. In one embodiment, thevideo and/or audio content can be obtained locally by the sourcecommunication device(s) that is coupled to, or otherwise incommunication with, video and/or audio capturing components, where thelocal device(s) will be performing the image adjustment. In anotherembodiment, the server 130 can obtain the video and/or audio content forprocessing. In one embodiment, the source device capturing the videocontent can apply facial pattern recognition to the captured videocontent so that only images of the user's face are provided for furtherprocessing, such as to the server 130. In another embodiment, the sourcedevice can provide the entire captured video content to the server 130for further processing so that resources of the source device (e.g., amobile device) are not utilized for pattern recognition.

At 204, one or more video conference policies associated with the videoconference communication session can be accessed. For example, thepolicy can be associated with or otherwise correspond to the user thatis requesting the conference. In another embodiment, multiple policiescan be accessed that correspond to each of the participants of the videoconference. The policies can correspond to the users of the devicesand/or can correspond to the device that is participating in the videoconference. The policies can be general policies, such as generated by aservice provider and agreed to as part of a subscriber agreement, and/orcan be individual policies, such as generated by subscribers that areenabled with video conferencing services.

In one embodiment, general policies can be based on service levelagreements which allow different video conference distribution rulesdepending on the level of service of the subscriber. For example, ahigher level service agreement (which may be at a different cost from alower level service agreement) can enable establishing videosub-conferences with multiple participants and adjusting the videocontent differently for some of those multiple participants, while thelower level service agreement may limit the video conferencedistribution policy to a single adjusted version along with thenon-adjusted version of the video content for distribution to theconference participants. The sub-conferencing can be performed in othermanners, such as limiting distribution of selected video and/or selectedaudio to certain recipients.

In one embodiment, individual policies can be based on user preferencesand/or other information associated with the user. For example, a usermay indicate in a stored user preference that images captured from ahome office and intended for distribution to co-workers or to otherentities associated with the user's employer are to be adjusted in afirst manner (e.g., moving images presenting an office background) whilethose same images intended for another entity (e.g., family or friends)are to be adjusted in a second manner (e.g., moving images presenting ahome background). The individual policies can also be generated based onuser historical data. For example, the user's utilization of videoconferencing can be monitored to determine whether the user typicallymodifies video conferencing images based on participants, locations,subject matter, and so forth. This information can be stored andevaluated to determine whether an individual policy should be generated(e.g., a default to modifying images when the participant is acompetitor entity involved in a joint project). In one embodiment,historical data from other types of communications can be monitored andutilized for generating the individual policies. For example, a user'sencryption of particular documents when emailing them can be monitoredand an individual policy generated based on modifying images responsiveto a determination that the video conferencing is related to theencrypted documents.

In one or more embodiments, the policies can be entity-based orotherwise generated by an entity associated with one or more of theparticipants of the video conference. For example, the entity can be anemployer that establishes a policy indicating that all video conferencescaptured from a particular location are subject to image modification,such as at a research facility where confidentiality is very important.The criteria in the entity policy for subjecting images to amodification requirement can vary and can include location, employeestatus or position, subject of video conference, and so forth. Forinstance, an entity policy may indicate that engineers in the researchand development division of the entity have an image modificationrequirement imposed upon their video conferencing due to their positionas engineers while salespersons do not have the requirement imposed uponthem.

The policies can be stored at various locations, including locally atthe participants' communication devices and/or centrally, such as at theserver 130 and/or a database accessible by the server 130. As anexample, where the server 130 is receiving the images and modifying theimages according to the video conference policies then the server canretrieve the policies from the participant devices and/or from a memory(e.g., a subscriber database). However, as described herein, theparticular device performing the image adjustments can vary and thus thedevice gathering or otherwise accessing the one or more video conferencepolicies can vary.

In one embodiment at 206, multiple video conference policies (e.g.,associated with one or more of the participants, associated with anentity, associated with a service provider, and so forth) can beaccessed and analyzed to determine video content distribution rules. Theanalysis can be performed in various ways including parsing of thepolicies. In some instances, the rules may present a conflict, such as afirst policy that indicates a participant is to receive non-modifiedimages in the video content and a second policy that indicates that allparticipants are to receive modified images. Conflict resolution can beemployed to determine the distribution rules (e.g., determining whichparticipants receive adjusted and/or non-adjusted images). For instance,priority rules can be applied to the conflicting rules to determinewhich of the video conference policy rules should control. The priorityrules can be based on various factors, including the identity of theparticipants, the source of the images, and so forth. As an example, thepriority rules can provide for a conflict override for the source of thecaptured images. In this example, a first policy of a first recipientdevice to obtain non-modified images would be overridden by a secondpolicy of the source device to modify images captured by the sourcedevice. In another embodiment, the conflict resolution can be based onthe participants' status or position with the entity, such as thedirector of engineering's policy to modify captured images can overridean engineer's policy or an outside vendor's policy to obtainnon-modified images during the video conference. These are a fewexamples of conflicts and resolutions to those conflicts that can occurin the exemplary embodiments and other types of conflicts and resolutionare also contemplated. In one embodiment, the conflict resolution can beperformed by the device that is modifying the images, such as the server130 or the source device capturing the images.

At 208, it can be determined whether content adjustment is desired orrequired under the circumstances based on a number of factors includingone or more of the conference policies. Other factors can include devicecapabilities, network traffic, quality of service constraints, bandwidthlimitations, and so forth. If no adjustment of images and/or audio is tobe performed then non-adjusted video content (including images capturedby the source device (as well as the other source devices)) and/ornon-adjusted content can be exchanged with one or more recipient devicesat 210. If on the other hand it is determined that content adjustment isdesired or required then at 214 replacement content can be obtained. Thereplacement content can be for one or both of the images and audiocaptured by one or more of the source devices. The replacement contentcan be selected based on the video conference policies, distributionrules, and/or conflict resolution as described with respect to steps204-206. The replacement content can be selected using other techniquesin combination with or in place of the video conference policies,distribution rules, and/or conflict resolution, including based on userpreferences obtained at the time of the video conference, such as via aGUI presented during the conference connection process. In oneembodiment, the replacement content can be selected based on other datacollected with respect to the participant device(s), such as locationdata, device capability data, network capability data, and/or networkstatus data.

The replacement content can be in various formats including one or moreof still images, moving images, blank screens, and text screens. Thereplacement content can be content stored locally at the source deviceand/or stored remotely, such as a mailbox (associated with the sourcedevice) accessible by a remote server (e.g., server 130). In oneembodiment, the replacement content can be content that is generated byor in conjunction with the source device (e.g., mobile device 116, mediadevice 108 and/or media processor 106). For instance, a user can uploadbackground still images or moving images that the user desires to havedisplayed as the replacement content during the video conference. In oneembodiment, the replacement content can be selected from among a groupof replacement content. For example, a user can utilize a GUI presentedat a source device to select the subject matter of vacation images andcan select from among still or moving images (e.g., previewed in theGUI) that depict various vacation locations.

The replacement content can also include audio signals that are utilizedin adjusting the audio content, such as to hide undesired noise, injectdesired music into a conference, and so forth. In one embodiment, avoice sample(s) can be obtained associated with the conferenceparticipant(s) so that the voice sample can be utilized in a comparisonwith the audio content to detect background noise or sounds other thanparticipant voices. For example, the server 130 can obtain audio contentcaptured by the mobile communication device 116 during the videoconference communication session and can apply audio recognitionanalysis on the audio content to detect noise in the audio contentutilizing an audio sample of the user of the mobile communicationdevice. In another example, other data associated with the sourcedevice, such as a present location, can be utilized in the determinationof the replacement content. For example, the server 130 can detect fromlocation data of the media device 108 that the media device is capturingvideo and audio content in an office building. Based on this location,the server 130 can suggest replacement audio content that includes asofter music to be played as background in the video conference. Theserver 130 can also utilize the location data for estimating types ofnoises present in the audio content, such as determining from thelocation data that a mobile device 116 is capturing audio and videocontent from a stadium and estimating that the background noise is acrowd at the stadium cheering.

In one embodiment, replacement audio content can be selected from amonga group of replacement audio content, such as based on user input, userpreferences (e.g., stored in a user profile and/or included in anindividual conference policy associated with the user), a subject matterof the video conference (e.g., audio content suggestions can bepresented to the user for selection based on a determined theme of thevideo conference), and so forth.

At 216, the conference content can be adjusted based on the selectedreplacement content. The adjustment of the conference content can beperformed in various ways. In one embodiment, facial pattern recognitioncan be applied to the images to retain the face of the user in theimages while replacing a remaining portion of the images with thereplacement content. For instance, the face of the user can besuperimposed or otherwise combined with replacement content depictingthe user in an office setting, conference room setting or other desiredbackground setting. In another embodiment, object pattern recognitioncan be applied to the images to determine one or more other portions ofthe image that should be retained and combined with the replacementcontent (along with the user's face). The exemplary embodiments are notintended to be limited to only combining the user's face with thereplacement content, and can include other portions of the user, such asretaining the face and upper torso of the user or the entire body of theuser in the images. The exemplary embodiments can detect a facial objectwhich can be the face of the user and may or may not include otherportions of the user as described above.

The exemplary embodiments can also include objects other than the userthat are to be retained in the images. For instance, the object patternrecognition can identify a whiteboard that is to be used in the videoconference or a prototype that is the subject of discussion in the videoconference while replacing other portions of the images with thereplacement content. The replacing of all or some of the background canbe done to depict an actual setting such as a conference room or can bedone to depict an unrealistic setting such as the user and the user'sdesk sitting on the beach. As described above, the replacement contentcan be selected at step 214 for many purposes, such as masking the useof a home office or a mobile phone so that one or more of the otherconference participants views the user in an office or conference roomsetting.

The replacement of the content can also include adjusting of the audiocontent to reduce noise and/or provide desired background sounds for thevideo conference. In one embodiment, audio pattern recognition can beused to detect and/or isolate noise for the purpose of reducing thenoise. The audio pattern recognition can be performed based on numeroustechniques. In one embodiment, audio samples can be used in the audiopattern recognition, including voice samples, noise samples, and soforth. For instance, one or more of the conference participants canprovide voice samples (e.g., during the video conference and/or prior tothe video conference) that can be used for identifying participantvoices during the video conference so that other sounds can be isolatedfor noise reduction. In another embodiment, the audio samples can benoise samples, such as dog barking, traffic, crowd cheering and soforth, which can be used to directly identify the undesired noise. Theaudio content can then be adjusted to reduce the identified undesirednoise such as through noise cancellation, noise extraction and so forth.

The exemplary embodiment can also perform adjustment of the audiocontent to add desired audio, such as background sounds or music. Forinstance, a video conference to sell vacations at a beach resort can addbeach sounds, such as waves, as background audio for the videoconference. In another embodiment, the replacement audio content can beparticular sounds that are being discussed with respect to the videoconference. For instance, a video conference regarding operation of anengine may include audio content that is adjusted by enabling one ormore of the users to selectively add the sound of the engine in thebackground, where audio recordings of the engine where captured andstored at a previous time.

In one embodiment at 218, the method 200 can utilize a list(s) (e.g.,compilation(s)) identifying objects that are to be retained in theimages and/or are to be removed from the images to generate the adjustedvideo content. For instance, the list can identify a whiteboard as anobject that is to be retained in the images so as to enable the user towrite on the whiteboard during the video conference. In this example,the list can also identify a user's desk as an object that is to bereplaced so that a messy desk appears to be a clean desk. The list canidentify only objects to be retained, only objects to be replaced, orboth. The list can be stored at various locations (including copies atmultiple locations) such as the source device, the server 130, a mailboxstorage device accessible to one or both of the source device and theserver 130, and so forth. The list can be generated by various sourcesbased on various information. For example, one or more of the conferenceparticipants can generate individual lists (e.g., based on user inputsincluding a selection of objects from among a group of objects to beretained and/or replaced) that identify objects to be retained and/orreplaced. In one embodiment, the list can be generated by an entity(e.g., an employer of one or more of the conference participants) thatdesires to restrict exchange of certain information (e.g., replacingprototypes in the images) or to set a desired environment as abackground (e.g., replace all home office environments with a conferenceroom environment).

In one embodiment, the object list (or suggested objects to be placed onthe list subject to approval by the user) can be generatedautomatically. For example, user communications can be monitored toidentify objects to be placed on the list. For instance, emails having asubject heading corresponding to the subject matter of a videoconference (e.g., the subject matter can be identified in an invitemessage for the video conference) can be analyzed (e.g., via parsing andlanguage engines) to determine objects that are to be discussed duringthe video conference and/or other objects that are not to be discussed.Based on the analysis, the list can be populated (or suggestionsprovided for populating the list) with the determined objects. Thegeneration and use of the object list can be implemented according tothe techniques described above with respect to the conference policies,including conflict resolution between multiple lists (such as usingpriority rules), generating and utilizing general, entity and/orindividual lists, and so forth.

At 220, the adjusted and/or non-adjusted content can be provided to theconference participants. As explained above, the adjusted content caninclude any number of adjusted video contents and/or any number ofadjusted audio content. For instance, a first recipient communicationdevice can receive a first adjusted video and/or audio content while asecond recipient communication can receive a second adjusted videoand/or audio content. In this example, non-adjusted video and/or audiocontent may or may not be provided to one or more other recipientdevices. The providing of different versions of the content (e.g.,adjusted and non-adjusted video and/or audio content) can be based onsetting up one or more sub-conferences from the video conference. Forexample, the video conference can be established among a source deviceand first, second, third and fourth recipient devices. The source devicecan establish a first sub-conference with the third recipient device anda second sub-conference with the fourth recipient device. In thisexample, the first and second recipient devices can receive a firstadjusted content while the third recipient device receives a secondadjusted content. The fourth recipient device can receive thenon-adjusted content. The particular configuration for which devicesreceive which content can vary and can be controlled based on numerousfactors, such as based on the conference policies as described at step204. The use of sub-conferences can also include providing separatemessaging channels (e.g., instant text messages) where access is limitedto conference participants that are members of the sub-conference. Itshould be understood that the source device in the exemplary embodimentscan be any one or more of the participant devices and the exemplaryembodiments contemplate multiple source devices for a video conference.The exemplary embodiments can also include the providing of the adjustedand/or non-adjusted video content being changed during the videoconference. For example, a recipient device that is receiving adjustedvideo content may be switched to receiving non-adjusted video content sothat the recipient device receives images including a replaced object(s)(e.g., a prototype being discussed during the video conference).

In one embodiment at 222, a determination can be made as to whether thesource device has changed location. The determination can be made basedon satisfying a threshold location change, such as a location change ofa certain distance or a location change into a different room in abuilding. If there is no location change then the adjusted and/ornon-adjusted content can continue to be provided to the conferenceparticipants. If on the other hand a location change is determined thenat 224 a new adjusted (or non-adjusted) content can be generated andprovided in place of a previous adjusted (or non-adjusted) content. Forexample, the source device can be a mobile device that is capturingimages for a video conference in a restricted lab of an entity. Based onthis location and a conference policy (e.g., an entity conference policywhere the user is an employee of the entity) that restricts images ofthe lab being exchanged, first adjusted content for the source devicecan be a facial object (e.g., a face and upper body) of the usersuperimposed or otherwise combined with a background of a conferenceroom (e.g., still or moving images). Once a location change is detected,such as from a comparison of first and second location data for themobile device, indicating that the user has moved outside of therestricted lab (e.g., back to his or her desk) then the first adjustedcontent can be replaced with non-adjusted content or second adjustedcontent (e.g., images that retain the user's desk but replace objects onthe object list such as replacing a whiteboard near the user's deskcontaining confidential information with a blank whiteboard). In thisexample, the location data can be received from various sources,including the mobile device, GPS server(s) and so forth. Method 200 canmonitor for location changes and can implement a change to the contentbeing forwarded based on the monitored location of the source device.

Method 200 can be performed by one or more devices (e.g., in acentralized process or a distributed process) including one or more ofthe server 130 and the conference participant devices (e.g., mediaprocessor 106, media device 108 and/or mobile device 116). In oneembodiment, processing of the content (e.g., images and/or audiosignals) to generate adjusted content can be performed by each of thesource devices for content captured by that source device without usinga centralized server, such as server 130. In another embodiment, thesteps of method 200 can be distributed amongst various devices. Forinstance, the server 130 can perform facial pattern recognition onimages received from one or more of the source devices and the recipientdevices can adjust the video content by superimposing or otherwisecombining the facial object from the facial pattern recognition withreplacement content, such as a selected background.

In one or more of the exemplary embodiments, the replacement content canbe selected by the recipient device(s) (e.g., based on user inputpreference, conference policies and so forth). For instance, a recipientdevice can receive a facial object that is generated based on imagescaptured by a source device. The source device can have applied aconference policy to replace the background of the images. However, inthis example, the selection of the replacement background can be made bythe recipient device.

In one embodiment, the selection of the replacement content can be madein conjunction with an identified subject matter of the videoconference. For example, the server 130 can determine from an analysisof emails or other communications of a user that the user is engaging ina video conference to sell vacation property (e.g., beachfrontproperty). The server 130 can provide suggestions for (or automaticallyimplement) adjustment of the video content captured by the user's deviceso that the user appears to be working from the beach, such aspositioning the user's desk on the beach. In this example, thereplacement content can be moving images of the actual beachfrontproperty (e.g., captured previously and stored by the user's device) orcan be generic beach moving images. In this example, the replacementcontent can also be still images of the actual beachfront property orother similar property.

FIG. 3 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a communication system 300for delivering video conferencing services and for delivering mediacontent including television programming and advertisements. System 300can enable one or more conference participants to adjust content that isbeing delivered during a video conference. The adjustments can be tovideo and/or audio content. The adjustments can be made pursuant tovarious criteria and factors, including conference policies generated byone or more of conference participant(s), a service provider, an entityassociated with the video conference and so forth. In one embodiment,multiple versions of the adjusted content can be generated, such asbased on selections of various still and/or moving image backgrounds(e.g., selections made by a user of the source device or made by anentity associated with the video conference). The adjustment of thecontent can include extracting a facial object from images and combiningthe facial object into replacement content, such as combining the facialobject (which was captured at a home office) with a work office. Theadjustment of the content is not limited to retaining the facial object,and can include retaining other objects from the images, such as awhiteboard or a prototype shown in the images.

The communication system 300 can represent an Internet ProtocolTelevision (IPTV) media system. The IPTV media system can include asuper head-end office (SHO) 310 with at least one super headend officeserver (SHS) 311 which receives media content from satellite and/orterrestrial communication systems. In the present context, media contentcan represent, for example, audio content, moving image content such as2D or 3D videos, video games, virtual reality content, still imagecontent, and combinations thereof. The SHS server 311 can forwardpackets associated with the media content to one or more video head-endservers (VHS) 314 via a network of video head-end offices (VHO) 312according to a multicast communication protocol.

The VHS 314 can distribute multimedia broadcast content via the accessnetwork 118 to the commercial and/or residential buildings 102 housingthe gateway 104 (such as a residential or commercial gateway). Theaccess network 118 can represent a group of digital subscriber lineaccess multiplexers (DSLAMs) located in a central office or a servicearea interface that provide broadband services over fiber optical linksor copper twisted pairs 319 to buildings 102. The gateway 104 can usecommunication technology to distribute broadcast signals to the mediaprocessors 106 such as Set-Top Boxes (STBs) which in turn presentbroadcast channels to the media devices 108 such as computers ortelevision sets managed in some instances by the media controller 107(such as an infrared or RF remote controller).

The gateway 104, the media processors 106, the media devices 108 and/orthe recording devices 110 can utilize tethered communicationtechnologies (such as coaxial, powerline or phone line wiring) and/orcan operate over a wireless access protocol such as Wireless Fidelity(WiFi), Bluetooth, Zigbee, or other present or next generation local orpersonal area wireless network technologies. By way of these interfaces,unicast communications can also be invoked between the media processors106 and subsystems of the IPTV media system for services such asvideo-on-demand (VoD), browsing an electronic programming guide (EPG),or other infrastructure services.

A satellite broadcast television system 329 can be used in the mediasystem of FIG. 3. The satellite broadcast television system can beoverlaid, operably coupled with, or replace the IPTV system as anotherrepresentative embodiment of communication system 300. In thisembodiment, signals transmitted by a satellite 315 that include mediacontent can be received by a satellite dish receiver 331 coupled to thebuilding 102. Modulated signals received by the satellite dish receiver331 can be transferred to the media processors 106 for demodulating,decoding, encoding, and/or distributing broadcast channels to the mediadevices 108. The media processors 106 can be equipped with a broadbandport to an Internet Service Provider (ISP) network 332 to enableinteractive services such as VoD and EPG as described above.

In yet another embodiment, an analog or digital cable broadcastdistribution system such as cable TV system 333 can be overlaid,operably coupled with, or replace the IPTV system and/or the satelliteTV system as another representative embodiment of communication system300. In this embodiment, the cable TV system 333 can also provideInternet, telephony, and interactive media services. The subjectdisclosure can apply to other present or next generation over-the-airand/or landline media content services system.

Some of the network elements of the IPTV media system can be coupled tothe computing devices 130, a portion of which can operate as a webserver for providing web portal services over the ISP network 332 towireline media devices 108 or wireless communication devices 116. Asdescribed with respect to FIG. 1A, server(s) 130 can perform a number offunctions 162 including determining replacement content and/or adjustingcontent utilizing the replacement content as well as portions of imagesthat have been retained (e.g., a facial object). The media processors106, media devices 108 and/or wireless communication devices 116 can beprovisioned with software function 164 to utilize the services of server130. Software function 164 can include enabling interfacing with server130 for receiving targeted advertising. In one or more embodiments, thefunction 164 can include providing video conference services thatenables adjusting of the delivered video and/or audio content.

Multiple forms of media services can be offered to media devices overlandline technologies such as those described above. Additionally, mediaservices can be offered to media devices by way of a wireless accessbase station 317 operating according to common wireless access protocolssuch as Global System for Mobile or GSM, Code Division Multiple Accessor CDMA, Time Division Multiple Access or TDMA, Universal MobileTelecommunications or UMTS, World interoperability for Microwave orWiMAX, Software Defined Radio or SDR, Long Term Evolution or LTE, and soon. Other wide area wireless access network technologies can be used inone or more embodiments of the subject disclosure.

FIG. 4 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a communication system 400employing an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) network architecture tofacilitate the combined services of circuit-switched and packet-switchedsystems. Communication system 400 can be overlaid or operably coupledwith communication systems 100 and 300 as another representativeembodiment of communication systems 100 and 300. System 400 can includeserver 130 for adjusting conference content, including adjusting videoand/or audio content based on replacement content.

Communication system 400 can comprise a Home Subscriber Server (HSS)440, a tElephone NUmber Mapping (ENUM) server 430, and other networkelements of an IMS network 450. The IMS network 450 can establishcommunications between IMS-compliant communication devices (CDs) or userequipment (UE) 401, 402, Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) CDs403, 405, and combinations thereof by way of a Media Gateway ControlFunction (MGCF) 420 coupled to a PSTN network 460. The MGCF 420 need notbe used when a communication session involves IMS CD to IMS CDcommunications. A communication session involving at least one PSTN CDmay utilize the MGCF 420.

IMS CDs 401, 402 can register with the IMS network 450 by contacting aProxy Call Session Control Function (P-CSCF) which communicates with aninterrogating CSCF (I-CSCF), which in turn, communicates with a ServingCSCF (S-CSCF) to register the CDs with the HSS 440. To initiate acommunication session between CDs, an originating IMS CD 401 can submita Session Initiation Protocol (SIP INVITE) message to an originatingP-CSCF 404 which communicates with a corresponding originating S-CSCF406. The originating S-CSCF 406 can submit the SIP INVITE message to oneor more application servers (ASs) 417 that can provide a variety ofservices to IMS subscribers.

For example, the application servers 417 can be used to performoriginating call feature treatment functions on the calling party numberreceived by the originating S-CSCF 406 in the SIP INVITE message.Originating treatment functions can include determining whether thecalling party number has international calling services, call IDblocking, calling name blocking, 7-digit dialing, and/or is requestingspecial telephony features (e.g., *72 forward calls, *73 cancel callforwarding, *67 for caller ID blocking, and so on). Based on initialfilter criteria (iFCs) in a subscriber profile associated with a CD, oneor more application servers may be invoked to provide various calloriginating feature services.

Additionally, the originating S-CSCF 406 can submit queries to the ENUMsystem 430 to translate an E.164 telephone number in the SIP INVITEmessage to a SIP Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) if the terminatingcommunication device is IMS-compliant. The SIP URI can be used by anInterrogating CSCF (I-CSCF) 407 to submit a query to the HSS 440 toidentify a terminating S-CSCF 414 associated with a terminating IMS CDsuch as reference 402. Once identified, the I-CSCF 407 can submit theSIP INVITE message to the terminating S-CSCF 414. The terminating S-CSCF414 can then identify a terminating P-CSCF 416 associated with theterminating CD 402. The P-CSCF 416 may then signal the CD 402 toestablish Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) communication services,thereby enabling the calling and called parties to engage in voiceand/or data communications. Based on the iFCs in the subscriber profile,one or more application servers may be invoked to provide various callterminating feature services, such as call forwarding, do not disturb,music tones, simultaneous ringing, sequential ringing, etc.

In some instances the aforementioned communication process issymmetrical. Accordingly, the terms “originating” and “terminating” inFIG. 4 may be interchangeable. It is further noted that communicationsystem 400 can be adapted to support video conferencing. In addition,communication system 400 can be adapted to provide the IMS CDs 401, 402with the multimedia and Internet services of communication system 300 ofFIG. 3.

If the terminating communication device is instead a PSTN CD such as CD403 or CD 405 (in instances where the cellular phone only supportscircuit-switched voice communications), the ENUM system 430 can respondwith an unsuccessful address resolution which can cause the originatingS-CSCF 406 to forward the call to the MGCF 420 via a Breakout GatewayControl Function (BGCF) 419. The MGCF 420 can then initiate the call tothe terminating PSTN CD over the PSTN network 460 to enable the callingand called parties to engage in voice and/or data communications.

It is further appreciated that the CDs of FIG. 4 can operate as wirelineor wireless devices. For example, the CDs of FIG. 4 can becommunicatively coupled to a cellular base station 421, a femtocell, aWiFi router, a Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications (DECT) baseunit, or another suitable wireless access unit to establishcommunications with the IMS network 450 of FIG. 4. The cellular accessbase station 421 can operate according to common wireless accessprotocols such as GSM, CDMA, TDMA, UMTS, WiMax, SDR, LTE, and so on.Other present and next generation wireless network technologies can beused by one or more embodiments of the subject disclosure. Accordingly,multiple wireline and wireless communication technologies can be used bythe CDs of FIG. 4.

Cellular phones supporting LTE can support packet-switched voice andpacket-switched data communications and thus may operate asIMS-compliant mobile devices. In this embodiment, the cellular basestation 421 may communicate directly with the IMS network 450 as shownby the arrow connecting the cellular base station 421 and the P-CSCF,which may be an originating P-CSCF.

It is further understood that alternative forms of a CSCF can operate ina device, system, component, or other form of centralized or distributedhardware and/or software. Indeed, a respective CSCF may be embodied as arespective CSCF system having one or more computers or servers, eithercentralized or distributed, where each computer or server may beconfigured to perform or provide, in whole or in part, any method, step,or functionality described herein in accordance with a respective CSCF.Likewise, other functions, servers and computers described herein,including but not limited to, the HSS, the ENUM server, the BGCF, andthe MGCF, can be embodied in a respective system having one or morecomputers or servers, either centralized or distributed, where eachcomputer or server may be configured to perform or provide, in whole orin part, any method, step, or functionality described herein inaccordance with a respective function, server, or computer.

The server 130 of FIG. 3 can be operably coupled to the secondcommunication system 400 for purposes similar to those described above.Server 130 can perform function 162 and thereby provide videoconferencing services to the CDs 401, 402, 403 and 405 of FIG. 4. CDs401, 402, 403 and 405, which can be adapted with software to performfunction 164 to utilize the services of the server 130. Server 130 canbe an integral part of the application server(s) 417 performing function175, which can be similar to function 162 (e.g., adjusting images bysuperimposing facial objects and/or other identified objects intoreplacement content) and adapted to the operations of the IMS network450.

For illustration purposes only, the terms S-CSCF, P-CSCF, I-CSCF, and soon, can be server devices, but may be referred to in the subjectdisclosure without the word “server.” It is also understood that anyform of a CSCF server can operate in a device, system, component, orother form of centralized or distributed hardware and software. It isfurther noted that these terms and other terms can include features,methodologies, and/or fields that may be described in whole or in partby standards bodies such as 3^(rd) Generation Partnership Project(3GPP). It is further noted that some or all embodiments of the subjectdisclosure may in whole or in part modify, supplement, or otherwisesupersede final or proposed standards published and promulgated by 3GPP.

FIG. 5 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a web portal 502 which canbe hosted by server applications operating from the computing devices130 of the communication system 300 illustrated in FIG. 3. The webportal 502 can be used for managing services of communication systems100 and 300-400. A web page of the web portal 502 can be accessed by aUniform Resource Locator (URL) with an Internet browser such asMicrosoft's Internet Explorer™, Mozilla's Firefox™ Apple's Safari™, orGoogle's Chrome™ using an Internet-capable communication device such asthose described in FIGS. 1 and 3-4. The web portal 502 can beconfigured, for example, to access a media processor 106 and servicesmanaged thereby such as a Digital Video Recorder (DVR), a Video onDemand (VoD) catalog, an Electronic Programming Guide (EPG), or apersonal catalog (such as personal videos, pictures, audio recordings,etc.) stored at the media processor 106. The web portal 502 can also beused for provisioning IMS services described earlier, provisioningInternet services, provisioning cellular phone services, and so on.

Web portal 502 can also be used by users to provide information to theserver 130 regarding the adjustments to the conference content. Forexample, audio samples, such as a voice sample, can be provided via theweb portal 502 so that a device (e.g., server 130) performing noisereduction via audio content adjustment can access the voice sample whichassists in isolating the noise from the voice. In one or moreembodiments, web portal 502 can be utilized by users to providepreferences for the individual conference policies. For instance, userscan generate a list of objects that are to be replaced and/or retainedin the images during the generation of adjusted video content. Asanother example, the user can select replacement content (e.g., stilland/or moving images) from among a group of replacement content and/orcan identify the circumstances for utilizing the selected replacementcontent, such as identifying recipient devices or locations that triggeruse of the replacement content. In one embodiment, the web portal 502can be utilized for making adjustments to facial features of a facialobject (e.g., a user's face and upper torso) identified via facialpattern recognition, such as enabling adjusting of the facial object todepict combed hair.

FIG. 6 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a communication device 600.Communication device 600 can serve in whole or in part as anillustrative embodiment of the devices depicted in FIGS. 1 and 3-5. Thecommunication device 600 can present video and/or audio content that hasbeen adjusted based on replacement content. In one or more embodiments,the communication device 600 can perform facial and/or object patternrecognition that enables facial objects or other objects to besuperimposed or combined with the replacement content. In one or moreembodiments, the communication device can present a graphical userinterface that enables a user to make selections of replacement contentfrom among a group of replacement content and/or designate the criteriafor utilizing the replacement content, such as based on a recipientdevice identification, a subject matter of a video conference, a userlocation, and so forth.

The communication device 600 can comprise a wireline and/or wirelesstransceiver 602 (herein transceiver 602), a user interface (UI) 604, apower supply 614, a location receiver 616, a motion sensor 618, anorientation sensor 620, and a controller 606 for managing operationsthereof. The transceiver 602 can support short-range or long-rangewireless access technologies such as Bluetooth, ZigBee, WiFi, DECT, orcellular communication technologies, just to mention a few. Cellulartechnologies can include, for example, CDMA-1×, UMTS/HSDPA, GSM/GPRS,TDMA/EDGE, EV/DO, WiMAX, SDR, LTE, as well as other next generationwireless communication technologies as they arise. The transceiver 602can also be adapted to support circuit-switched wireline accesstechnologies (such as PSTN), packet-switched wireline accesstechnologies (such as TCP/IP, VoIP, etc.), and combinations thereof.

The UI 604 can include a depressible or touch-sensitive keypad 608 witha navigation mechanism such as a roller ball, a joystick, a mouse, or anavigation disk for manipulating operations of the communication device600. The keypad 608 can be an integral part of a housing assembly of thecommunication device 600 or an independent device operably coupledthereto by a tethered wireline interface (such as a USB cable) or awireless interface supporting for example Bluetooth. The keypad 608 canrepresent a numeric keypad commonly used by phones, and/or a QWERTYkeypad with alphanumeric keys. The UI 604 can further include a display610 such as monochrome or color LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), OLED(Organic Light Emitting Diode) or other suitable display technology forconveying images to an end user of the communication device 600. In anembodiment where the display 610 is touch-sensitive, a portion or all ofthe keypad 608 can be presented by way of the display 610 withnavigation features.

The display 610 can use touch screen technology to also serve as a userinterface for detecting user input. As a touch screen display, thecommunication device 600 can be adapted to present a user interface withgraphical user interface (GUI) elements that can be selected by a userwith a touch of a finger. The touch screen display 610 can be equippedwith capacitive, resistive or other forms of sensing technology todetect how much surface area of a user's finger has been placed on aportion of the touch screen display. This sensing information can beused to control the manipulation of the GUI elements or other functionsof the user interface. The display 110 can be an integral part of thehousing assembly of the communication device 100 or an independentdevice communicatively coupled thereto by a tethered wireline interface(such as a cable) or a wireless interface.

The UI 604 can also include an audio system 612 that utilizes audiotechnology for conveying low volume audio (such as audio heard inproximity of a human ear) and high volume audio (such as speakerphonefor hands free operation). The audio system 612 can further include amicrophone for receiving audible signals of an end user. The audiosystem 612 can also be used for voice recognition applications. The UI604 can further include an image sensor 613 such as a charged coupleddevice (CCD) camera for capturing still or moving images.

The power supply 614 can utilize common power management technologiessuch as replaceable and rechargeable batteries, supply regulationtechnologies, and/or charging system technologies for supplying energyto the components of the communication device 600 to facilitatelong-range or short-range portable applications. Alternatively, or incombination, the charging system can utilize external power sources suchas DC power supplied over a physical interface such as a USB port orother suitable tethering technologies.

The location receiver 616 can utilize location technology such as aglobal positioning system (GPS) receiver capable of assisted GPS foridentifying a location of the communication device 600 based on signalsgenerated by a constellation of GPS satellites, which can be used forfacilitating location services such as navigation. As describe above,this location data can be utilized in determining whether a locationchange for the device has occurred (such as via a comparison of locationdata that indicates a difference which satisfies a location changethreshold), which would trigger a change in the delivery of theconference content (such as switching between versions of the adjustedcontent or switching between adjusted and non-adjusted content). Themotion sensor 618 can utilize motion sensing technology such as anaccelerometer, a gyroscope, or other suitable motion sensing technologyto detect motion of the communication device 600 in three-dimensionalspace. The orientation sensor 620 can utilize orientation sensingtechnology such as a magnetometer to detect the orientation of thecommunication device 600 (north, south, west, and east, as well ascombined orientations in degrees, minutes, or other suitable orientationmetrics).

The communication device 600 can use the transceiver 602 to alsodetermine a proximity to a cellular, WiFi, Bluetooth, or other wirelessaccess points by sensing techniques such as utilizing a received signalstrength indicator (RSSI) and/or signal time of arrival (TOA) or time offlight (TOF) measurements. The controller 606 can utilize computingtechnologies such as a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP),and/or a video processor with associated storage memory such as Flash,ROM, RAM, SRAM, DRAM or other storage technologies for executingcomputer instructions, controlling, and processing data supplied by theaforementioned components of the communication device 100.

Other components not shown in FIG. 6 can be used in one or moreembodiments of the subject disclosure. For instance, the communicationdevice 600 can include a reset button (not shown). The reset button canbe used to reset the controller 606 of the communication device 600. Inyet another embodiment, the communication device 600 can also include afactory default setting button positioned, for example, below a smallhole in a housing assembly of the communication device 600 to force thecommunication device 600 to re-establish factory settings. In thisembodiment, a user can use a protruding object such as a pen or paperclip tip to reach into the hole and depress the default setting button.The communication device 100 can also include a slot for adding orremoving an identity module such as a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM)card. SIM cards can be used for identifying subscriber services,executing programs, storing subscriber data, and so forth.

The communication device 600 as described herein can operate with moreor less of the circuit components shown in FIG. 6. These variantembodiments can be used in one or more embodiments of the subjectdisclosure.

The communication device 600 can be adapted to perform the functions ofthe media processor 106, the media devices 108, or the portablecommunication devices 116 of FIGS. 1 and 3, as well as the IMS CDs401-402 and PSTN CDs 403-405 of FIG. 4. It will be appreciated that thecommunication device 600 can also represent other devices that canoperate in the communication systems of FIGS. 1 and 3-4 such as a gamingconsole and a media player.

The communication device 600 shown in FIG. 6 or portions thereof canserve as a representation of one or more of the devices of communicationsystems 100 and 300-400. In addition, the controller 606 can be adaptedin various embodiments to perform the functions 162-164 and 175,respectively, to facilitate the adjustment of conference content (e.g.,adjusting video and/or audio content) during the video conference.

Upon reviewing the aforementioned embodiments, it would be evident to anartisan with ordinary skill in the art that said embodiments can bemodified, reduced, or enhanced without departing from the scope of theclaims described below. For example, to facilitate the delivery of theadjusted conference content in real-time or near real-time in oneembodiment, multiple devices can perform multiple steps of method 200,such as video content alteration being performed by a first server 130and audio content alteration being performed by a second server 130.Other embodiments can be used in the subject disclosure.

It should be understood that devices described in the exemplaryembodiments can be in communication with each other via various wirelessand/or wired methodologies. The methodologies can be links that aredescribed as coupled, connected and so forth, which can includeunidirectional and/or bidirectional communication over wireless pathsand/or wired paths that utilize one or more of various protocols ormethodologies, where the coupling and/or connection can be direct (e.g.,no intervening processing device) and/or indirect (e.g., an intermediaryprocessing device such as a router).

FIG. 7 depicts an exemplary diagrammatic representation of a machine inthe form of a computer system 700 within which a set of instructions,when executed, may cause the machine to perform any one or more of themethods describe above. One or more instances of the machine canoperate, for example, as the server 130, media processor 106, mediadevice 108, mobile device 116 and other devices of FIGS. 1-6. In someembodiments, the machine may be connected (e.g., using a network) toother machines. In a networked deployment, the machine may operate inthe capacity of a server or a client user machine in server-client usernetwork environment, or as a peer machine in a peer-to-peer (ordistributed) network environment.

The machine may comprise a server computer, a client user computer, apersonal computer (PC), a tablet PC, a smart phone, a laptop computer, adesktop computer, a control system, a network router, switch or bridge,or any machine capable of executing a set of instructions (sequential orotherwise) that specify actions to be taken by that machine. It will beunderstood that a communication device of the subject disclosureincludes broadly any electronic device that provides voice, video ordata communication. Further, while a single machine is illustrated, theterm “machine” shall also be taken to include any collection of machinesthat individually or jointly execute a set (or multiple sets) ofinstructions to perform any one or more of the methods discussed herein.

The computer system 700 may include a processor (or controller) 702(e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU,or both), a main memory 704 and a static memory 706, which communicatewith each other via a bus 708. The computer system 700 may furtherinclude a video display unit 710 (e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD),a flat panel, or a solid state display. The computer system 700 mayinclude an input device 712 (e.g., a keyboard), a cursor control device714 (e.g., a mouse), a disk drive unit 716, a signal generation device718 (e.g., a speaker or remote control) and a network interface device720.

The disk drive unit 716 may include a tangible computer-readable storagemedium 722 on which is stored one or more sets of instructions (e.g.,software 724) embodying any one or more of the methods or functionsdescribed herein, including those methods illustrated above. Theinstructions 724 may also reside, completely or at least partially,within the main memory 704, the static memory 706, and/or within theprocessor 702 during execution thereof by the computer system 700. Themain memory 704 and the processor 702 also may constitute tangiblecomputer-readable storage media.

Dedicated hardware implementations including, but not limited to,application specific integrated circuits, programmable logic arrays andother hardware devices can likewise be constructed to implement themethods described herein. Applications that may include the apparatusand systems of various embodiments broadly include a variety ofelectronic and computer systems. Some embodiments implement functions intwo or more specific interconnected hardware modules or devices withrelated control and data signals communicated between and through themodules, or as portions of an application-specific integrated circuit.Thus, the example system is applicable to software, firmware, andhardware implementations.

In accordance with various embodiments of the subject disclosure, theoperations or methods described herein are intended for operation assoftware programs or instructions running on or executed by a computerprocessor or other computing device, and which may include other formsof instructions manifested as a state machine implemented with logiccomponents in an application specific integrated circuit or fieldprogrammable array. Furthermore, software implementations (e.g.,software programs, instructions, etc.) can include, but not limited to,distributed processing or component/object distributed processing,parallel processing, or virtual machine processing can also beconstructed to implement the methods described herein. It is furthernoted that a computing device such as a processor, a controller, a statemachine or other suitable device for executing instructions to performoperations or methods may perform such operations directly or indirectlyby way of one or more intermediate devices directed by the computingdevice.

While the tangible computer-readable storage medium 722 is shown in anexample embodiment to be a single medium, the term “tangiblecomputer-readable storage medium” should be taken to include a singlemedium or multiple media (e.g., a centralized or distributed database,and/or associated caches and servers) that store the one or more sets ofinstructions. The term “tangible computer-readable storage medium” shallalso be taken to include any non-transitory medium that is capable ofstoring or encoding a set of instructions for execution by the machineand that cause the machine to perform any one or more of the methods ofthe subject disclosure.

The term “tangible computer-readable storage medium” shall accordinglybe taken to include, but not be limited to: solid-state memories such asa memory card or other package that houses one or more read-only(non-volatile) memories, random access memories, or other re-writable(volatile) memories, a magneto-optical or optical medium such as a diskor tape, or other tangible media which can be used to store information.Accordingly, the disclosure is considered to include any one or more ofa tangible computer-readable storage medium, as listed herein andincluding art-recognized equivalents and successor media, in which thesoftware implementations herein are stored.

Although the present specification describes components and functionsimplemented in the embodiments with reference to particular standardsand protocols, the disclosure is not limited to such standards andprotocols. Each of the standards for Internet and other packet switchednetwork transmission (e.g., TCP/IP, UDP/IP, HTML, HTTP) representexamples of the state of the art. Such standards are from time-to-timesuperseded by faster or more efficient equivalents having essentiallythe same functions. Wireless standards for device detection (e.g.,RFID), short-range communications (e.g., Bluetooth, WiFi, Zigbee), andlong-range communications (e.g., WiMAX, GSM, CDMA, LTE) can be used bycomputer system 700.

The illustrations of embodiments described herein are intended toprovide a general understanding of the structure of various embodiments,and they are not intended to serve as a complete description of all theelements and features of apparatus and systems that might make use ofthe structures described herein. Many other embodiments will be apparentto those of skill in the art upon reviewing the above description. Theexemplary embodiments can include combinations of features and/or stepsfrom multiple embodiments. Other embodiments may be utilized and derivedtherefrom, such that structural and logical substitutions and changesmay be made without departing from the scope of this disclosure. Figuresare also merely representational and may not be drawn to scale. Certainproportions thereof may be exaggerated, while others may be minimized.Accordingly, the specification and drawings are to be regarded in anillustrative rather than a restrictive sense.

Although specific embodiments have been illustrated and describedherein, it should be appreciated that any arrangement calculated toachieve the same purpose may be substituted for the specific embodimentsshown. This disclosure is intended to cover any and all adaptations orvariations of various embodiments. Combinations of the above embodiments(including combining selected features or removing selected features),and other embodiments not specifically described herein, can be used inthe subject disclosure.

The Abstract of the Disclosure is provided with the understanding thatit will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of theclaims. In addition, in the foregoing Detailed Description, it can beseen that various features are grouped together in a single embodimentfor the purpose of streamlining the disclosure. This method ofdisclosure is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that theclaimed embodiments require more features than are expressly recited ineach claim. Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive subjectmatter lies in less than all features of a single disclosed embodiment.Thus the following claims are hereby incorporated into the DetailedDescription, with each claim standing on its own as a separately claimedsubject matter.

What is claimed is:
 1. A server, comprising: a memory to store computerinstructions; and a processor coupled to the memory, wherein theprocessor, responsive to executing the computer instructions, performsoperations comprising: receiving images captured by a sourcecommunication device associated with a video conference communicationsession established among video conference participant devicescomprising the source communication device, a first recipientcommunication device, a second recipient communication device and athird recipient communication device; obtaining a video conferencepolicy associated with the video conference communication session,wherein the video conference policy comprises a first presentationpolicy to be applied to the first recipient communication device, asecond presentation policy to be applied to the second recipientcommunication device, and a third presentation policy to be applied tothe third recipient communication device, and wherein the firstpresentation policy, the second presentation policy, and the thirdpresentation policy differ from each other; analyzing subject matter ofthe video conference communication session to determine a list ofobjects to be removed from the images; applying object patternrecognition to the images to detect a listed object; applying facialpattern recognition to the images to detect a facial object in theimages; retrieving first replacement image content according to thevideo conference policy, wherein the first replacement image content isprovided by a first user of the source communication device or by asecond user of the first recipient communication device; based on thefirst presentation policy associated with the first recipient device,adjusting the images by replacing a portion of the images other than thefacial object with the first replacement image content to generate firstadjusted video content, wherein the portion of the images comprises thedetected listed object and wherein the first replacement image contentcomprises a replacement object for the detected listed object; providingthe first adjusted video content to the first recipient communicationdevice via the video conference communication session; retrieving secondreplacement image content according to the video conference policy;based on the second presentation policy associated with the secondrecipient device, adjusting the images by replacing the portion of theimages other than the facial object with the second replacement imagecontent to generate second adjusted video content; providing the secondadjusted video content to the second recipient communication device viathe video conference communication session; and based on the thirdpresentation policy associated with the third recipient device,providing non-adjusted video content including the images according tothe video conference policy to the third recipient communication devicevia the video conference communication session, wherein the firstadjusted video content is provided to the first recipient communicationdevice without providing the non-adjusted video content to the firstrecipient communication device, and wherein the second adjusted videocontent is provided to the second recipient communication device withoutproviding the non-adjusted video content to the second recipientcommunication device.
 2. The server of claim 1, wherein the operationsfurther comprise providing the first and second adjusted video contentto the source communication device for presentation at the sourcecommunication device in separate graphical user interface windows. 3.The server of claim 1, wherein the list further comprises a list ofprivate objects determined according to the video conference policy, andwherein the operations further comprise: applying object patternrecognition to the images to detect a private object from among the listof private objects, wherein the replacing of the portion of the imagesto generate the first adjusted video content includes replacing theprivate object in the images with a replacement object from the firstreplacement image content.
 4. The server of claim 1, wherein the sourcecommunication device is a mobile communication device, and wherein theoperations further comprise: obtaining location data associated with themobile communication device; and detecting a change in location of themobile communication device during the video conference session, whereinthe providing of the first adjusted video content to the first recipientcommunication device via the video conference communication sessioncomprises switching from providing the non-adjusted video content to theproviding of the first adjusted video content responsive to thedetecting of the change in location of the mobile communication device.5. The server of claim 1, wherein the first replacement image contentcomprises a still image, and wherein the adjusting the images togenerate the first adjusted video content comprises superimposing thefacial object on the still image, and wherein sub-conferencing isperformed among a subset of the video conference participant devices tolimit distribution of target content among the subset.
 6. The server ofclaim 1, wherein the adjusting the images to generate the first adjustedvideo content includes retaining another portion of the images otherthan the facial object in the first adjusted video content, and whereinthe first replacement image content comprises moving image content. 7.The server of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:adjusting facial features of the facial object in the first adjustedvideo content according to user preferences in the video conferencepolicy.
 8. The server of claim 1, wherein the operations furthercomprise: obtaining identification information associated with thesource communication device; determining an identity of a source deviceuser of the source communication device; and accessing the videoconference policy based on the identity of the source device user. 9.The server of claim 1, wherein the video conference policy is a group ofvideo conference policies associated with each of the first, second andthird recipient communication devices and with a source device user ofthe source communication device, and wherein the operations furthercomprise: determining video content distribution rules according to thegroup of video conference policies; detecting a rules conflict in thevideo content distribution rules; and resolving the rules conflictaccording to a priority rule associated with the source device user togenerate an adjusted video content distribution rules, wherein theproviding of the first and second adjusted video content and thenon-adjusted video content is according to the adjusted video contentdistribution rules.
 10. The server of claim 1, wherein the operationsfurther comprise: obtaining audio content captured by the sourcecommunication device during the video conference communication session;applying audio recognition analysis on the audio content to detect noisein the audio content; adjusting the audio content to generate adjustedaudio content that reduces the noise; and providing the adjusted audiocontent to the first recipient communication device without providingthe audio content to the first recipient communication device.
 11. Theserver of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise accessing avoice sample for a source device user of the source communicationdevice, wherein the noise is detected utilizing the voice sample. 12.The server of claim 11, wherein the processor, responsive to executingthe computer instructions, performs operations comprising: receivinguser preference information from the source communication device,wherein the user preference information is based on user preferencesselected at the source communication device via user input at the sourcecommunication device, wherein the first replacement image content isselected from among a group of replacement image content according tothe user preference information.
 13. A method comprising: receiving, bya system including a processor, images captured by a mobilecommunication device associated with a video conference communicationsession established among video conference participant devicescomprising the mobile communication device and a recipient communicationdevice; obtaining, by the system, a video conference policy associatedwith the video conference communication session, wherein the videoconference policy comprises a presentation policy to be applied to therecipient communication device; analyzing, by the system, subject matterof the video conference communication session to determine a list ofobjects to be removed from the images; applying, by the system, objectpattern recognition to the images to detect a listed object; applying,by the system, facial pattern recognition to the images to detect afacial object in the images; obtaining, by the system, first locationdata associated with the mobile communication device; retrieving, by thesystem, first replacement image content according to the videoconference policy and the first location data, wherein the firstreplacement image content is provided by a first user of the mobilecommunication device or by a second user of the recipient communicationdevice; based on the presentation policy associated with the recipientdevice, adjusting, by the system, the images by replacing a portion ofthe images other than the facial object with the first replacement imagecontent to generate first adjusted video content, wherein the portion ofthe images comprises the detected listed object and wherein the firstreplacement image content comprises a replacement object for thedetected listed object; providing the first adjusted video content tothe recipient communication device via the video conferencecommunication session; obtaining, by the system, second location dataassociated with the mobile communication device; detecting a change inlocation of the mobile communication device that satisfies a locationchange threshold based on a comparison of the first and second locationdata; retrieving, by the system and responsive to the change inlocation, second replacement image content according to the videoconference policy and the second location data, wherein the secondreplacement image content is provided by the first user of the mobilecommunication device or by the second user of the recipientcommunication device; based on the presentation policy associated withthe recipient device, adjusting, by the system and responsive to thechange in location, the images by replacing the portion of the imagesother than the facial object with the second replacement image contentto generate second adjusted video content; and providing, by the systemand responsive to the change in location, the second adjusted videocontent to the recipient communication device via the video conferencecommunication session in place of the first adjusted video content. 14.The method of claim 13, wherein the video conference participant devicesinclude an additional recipient communication device, and furthercomprising: providing, by the system, non-adjusted video contentincluding the images according to the video conference policy to theadditional recipient communication device via the video conferencecommunication session, wherein the first and second adjusted videocontent is provided to the recipient communication device via the videoconference communication session without providing the non-adjustedvideo content.
 15. The method of claim 13, comprising: receiving, by thesystem, user preference information from the mobile communicationdevice, wherein the user preference information is based on userpreferences selected at the mobile communication device via user inputat the mobile communication device, and wherein the first replacementimage content is selected from among a group of replacement imagecontent according to the user preference information.
 16. The method ofclaim 13, wherein the first replacement image content includes movingimages, and wherein the adjusting the images to generate the firstadjusted video content includes superimposing the facial object on themoving images.
 17. The method of claim 13, comprising: obtaining audiocontent captured by the mobile communication device during the videoconference communication session; applying audio recognition analysis onthe audio content to detect noise in the audio content utilizing astored audio sample; adjusting the audio content to generate adjustedaudio content that reduces the noise; and providing the adjusted audiocontent to the recipient communication device without providing theaudio content to the recipient communication device.
 18. Anon-transitory computer-readable storage device comprising instructions,which, responsive to being executed by a processor of a sourcecommunication device, cause the processor to perform operationscomprising: capturing images via a camera coupled with the sourcecommunication device, wherein the images are associated with a videoconference communication session established among video conferenceparticipant devices comprising the source communication device, a firstrecipient communication device and a second recipient communicationdevice; obtaining a video conference policy associated with the videoconference communication session, wherein the video conference policycomprises a first presentation policy to be applied to the firstrecipient communication device, and a second presentation policy to beapplied to the second recipient communication device, and wherein thefirst presentation policy and the second presentation policy differ fromeach other; analyzing subject matter of the video conferencecommunication session to determine a list of objects to be removed fromthe images; applying object pattern recognition to the images to detecta listed object; applying facial pattern recognition to the images todetect a facial object in the images; retrieving first replacement imagecontent according to the video conference policy, wherein the firstreplacement image content is provided by a first user of the sourcecommunication device or by a second user of the first recipientcommunication device; based on the first presentation policy associatedwith the first recipient device, adjusting the images by replacing afirst portion of the images other than the facial object with the firstreplacement image content to generate first adjusted video content,wherein the first portion of the images comprises the detected listedobject, wherein the first replacement image content comprises areplacement object for the detected listed object, and wherein theadjusting of the images to generate the first adjusted video contentincludes retaining a second portion of the images other than the facialobject in the first adjusted video content; providing the first adjustedvideo content to the first recipient communication device via the videoconference communication session; and based on the second presentationpolicy associated with the second recipient device, providingnon-adjusted video content including the images according to the videoconference policy to the second recipient communication device via thevideo conference communication session, wherein the first adjusted videocontent is provided to the first recipient communication device withoutproviding the non-adjusted video content to the first recipientcommunication device.
 19. The non-transitory computer-readable storagedevice of claim 18, wherein the list of objects further comprisesobjects to be retained in the images, and wherein the operations furthercomprise: applying object pattern recognition to the images to detect alisted object to be retained in the images, wherein the retaining of thesecond portion of the images other than the facial object includessuperimposing the object to be retained and the facial object on thefirst replacement image content.
 20. The non-transitorycomputer-readable storage device of claim 18, wherein the videoconference participant devices comprise an additional recipientcommunication device and wherein the operations further comprise:retrieving additional replacement image content according to the videoconference policy; adjusting the images by replacing the portion of theimages other than the facial object with the additional replacementimage content to generate additional adjusted video content; andproviding the additional adjusted video content to the additionalrecipient communication device via the video conference communicationsession.